Rule 26(a) disclosures

This post summarizes Proportionality Compels Early Disclosure of Patent Damages, found here, first published by the IP Law Section, State Bar of California in connection with the March 23, 2016 seminar “Patent Disputes for our Time: New Realities, New Approaches.” 

Patent litigation norm: bludgeon one another before determining case value
Patent litigation norm: bludgeon one another before determining case value

The Dec 2015 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure call for greater effort on the part of the court and the parties to ensure that the time and expense invested in a case is proportional to value of the case.  The typical practice in patent litigation of bludgeoning first and valuing later presents a particularly compelling focus for the renewed emphasis on achieving proportionality.

Since there is a direct causal relationship between early disclosure of patent damages and achieving proportionality, the high likelihood is that courts, going forward, will strictly enforce the requirement that a patent plaintiff provide its damage computations in its Rule 26(a) initial disclosures.  To avoid prejudice to the patent plaintiff, any such early disclosures should be non-binding and subject to revision as the case proceeds.
Continue Reading Amendments to Civil Procedure Rules: Ending Patent Practice of Bludgeoning First and Valuing Later